Dual, Purpose Built 250Rs - build thread

[atctim]

This will be my build thread (blog) for 2 - ATC250Rs. An Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito "Twins' kind of thing going on. As I get older and more impatient, I've become more inclined to not particularly like constantly changing the set up on my bikes to accommodate the riding / racing I will be doing. MX , TT, Ice, Dunes, Trails, Hill Climbs and many many more. I've decided to purpose build 2 ATC250Rs one for Dunes and Drags, and one for TT, Flat Track, and Ice. So basically tires changes will be once a year and otherwise they are all set up. I have also told myself that I am not going to hap-haphazardly throw these bikes together under tight time restraints. I'm gonna do it at my pace with no deadline set (except done before Trikefest 2016). That said I have been acquiring parts for a long while now. I have nearly everything I need to build these two beauties.

My Vision: Bike #1 - Dune / Drag bike. Plus 4" custom swingarm by Rodney Lewis Jr (RIP Buddy), OEM plastics, Inverts / Custom Triples, Fast Flexx Bars, Baja Light setup, ESR330 motor, with Kenny Roberts pipe, Oversized Radiators. Paddles will be fitted and run almost exclusively unless a drag strip is hard clay. Bike #2 VINTAGE Flat Tracker. Minus 1" swinger, HRC Short Track Kit, Lo-Pro rears, Slammed, and sticking with a very vintage theme in both looks and performance. This bike will have a stock cylinder with port work, a Selvy's Sonic II pipe.

[atctim]

Here is the beginning of what I plan on obsessing on over the next several months. Hopefully she will be rolling around the garage on it's own wheels by the end of the weekend.

[atcmatt]

Look forward to seeing these two machines back to back.

[kiser]

Did you say flat track?? I'm all eyes Timmy!!

[onformula1]

Here is the beginning of what I plan on obsessing on over the next several months. Hopefully she will be rolling around the garage on it's own wheels by the end of the weekend.

Please, post some detailed pictures of the swingarm, I have heard nothing but wonderful things about Rodney Lewis Jr, unfortunately I never got to shake his hand.

RIP- Rodney Lewis Jr.

[keister]

My Vision: Bike #1 - Dune / Drag bike. Plus 4.5" custom swingarm by Rodney Lewis Jr (RIP Buddy), OEM plastics, Inverts, Baja Light setup, ESR330 motor, with huge honking Garry Crum sized pipe. Paddles will be fitted and run almost exclusively unless a drag strip is hard clay. I think it would be tremendous if my older brother would enter this in the Open Class Drag Race at Trikefest this year. Bike #2 VINTAGE Flat Tracker. Minus 1" swinger, HRC Short Track Kit, Lo-Pro rears, Lowered, and sticking with a very vintage theme in both looks and performance. This bike will have a stock cylinder with port work, a selvy's Sonic II pipe, and a custom hi-back seat.

Glad to see you posting this up. I went ahead and edited your initial post for you too.

[atctim]

^^^^Thanks brother - you are probably right ^^^^............. So this weekend I did not get it rolling as I thought. I did not think ahead enough to have my triples and rear suspension linkages powder coated in advance. It was a WTF moment as I sat looking at it being ready to be assembled. This was after my good friend Louis Mielke made the trip to my house to help me with my forks this weekend. Louis shortened my inverts by 3 inches making them very close to stock length 250R forks. We also rebuilt them so they should be good to go for a few years. Louis really knows his stuff regarding these inverted forks and he taught me much about them. Many thanks Louis!

I did get my suspension parts sent out for PC this weekend and if all goes as planned I will have them back someday this week and get this old girl on her wheels. Stay tuned.

[the great gazoo]

OHBOYOHBOYOHBOYOHBOY! You have my full attention!

[Mr. Clean]

I did get my suspension parts sent out for PC

NO NO NO, this is not going to be Politically Correct (PC) build...not going to happen...nope....not going to allow that....nope.

[atctim]

NO NO NO, this is not going to be Politically Correct (PC) build...not going to happen...nope....not going to allow that....nope.

Oh trust me - this will certainly not be a Politically Correct build. Just an FYI - I specifically requested my triples and foot pegs to be powder coated in the color of "negro intenso" just to prove my point.

http://bimetica.com/es/ral-9005-negro-intenso.html

another FYI Mike, I am purpose building this bike to run the TF drags in open (a 3rd would make me very happy) then I am sending it West to live out in your territory for a good many years. I'll come visit it as often as I can.

[ironchop]

....Just an FYI - I specifically requested my triples and foot pegs to be powder coated in the color of "negro intenso" just to prove my point....

because Black Pegs Matter!

[emoji106]


Sent from my Z998 using Tapatalk

[Mr. Clean]

another FYI Mike, I am purpose building this bike to run the TF drags in open (a 3rd would make me very happy) then I am sending it West to live out in your territory for a good many years. I'll come visit it as often as I can.

I like that plan, very nice!!

227557

I am sure the trike will appreciate you coming to visit.

[jays375]

Why would somebody do such a silly thing.lol.

[atctim]

I finally got my powder coated parts back (some of them) and now I can finally move forward to getting the Dune / Drag bike a roller this weekend. Soon after that I can start tearing down the TT bike for the frame to get PC'ed. My parts came out great. They are super shiny!

[atctim]

I didn't get as far as I thought I would this weekend. Still not a roller. I keep running into needing "little things" I now need new bushing seals for the lower rear shock mounts. It is coming along with the results I desire though - clean clean clean. Here's a picture from as she sits now.

[ironchop]

Hey Tim, is the swinger refinished too?

I'm about to bead blast mine when I do the frame but I can't find a definitive answer on a best match to OEM color gold paint. Which did you use?

Sent from my Z998 using Tapatalk

[atctim]

Hey Iron - This is a plus 4 swinger built by the late Rodney Lewis Jr. He had is PC'ed out in Cali when he built it. I am not sure of the color he used. I am having my minus 1 PC'ed locally right now (and wheels too) - I will post pics and color info when I get those parts in hand.

[onformula1]

Hey Iron - This is a plus 4 swinger built by the late Rodney Lewis Jr. He had is PC'ed out in Cali when he built it. I am not sure of the color he used. I am having my minus 1 PC'ed locally right now (and wheels too) - I will post pics and color info when I get those parts in hand.

Tim, would you mind posting some close ups of the swingarm, I have heard wonderful things about the late Rodney Lewis Jr., I never got to meet him and shake his had, but I heard he had mad fab. skills!

[atctim]

Tim, would you mind posting some close ups of the swingarm, I have heard wonderful things about the late Rodney Lewis Jr., I never got to meet him and shake his had, but I heard he had mad fab. skills!

Sure - I'll get some photos posted up witin the next couple of days.

[atctim]

Here are some pics of the Rodney Lewis Jr Swingarm - it's a plus 4.

And now a question. I bought oversized radiators for this bike. Upon installing one of them, I see that the bottom corner of it touches / presses against the radiator mount / ring type frame that hold the rads in place and the shrouds mount to. Not too sure what to do about it. If I leave it, it will wear a hole in the radiator for sure. I'm thinking maybe put a piece of rubber between the two. I'll get pics of that tomorrow.

[Mr. Clean]

Looking FANTASTIC.

In my humble opinion, ditch the OEM chain slider and get a TM designworks. It is worth the extra expense.

[atctim]

So this is getting to be a one-step forward three-steps back type of build, just what I didn't want. I have addressed and fixed the oversize radiator fitment issue with some hand made small aluminum brackets. I also found out I am missing parts for my 86 Durablue rear axle. I have 2 85 axles, and I thought I had an 85 and an 86 (luckily I had an 86 in the shed, but it is missing some parts - Grrrr) I'm going to have to buy one of Durablue's new brake hubs for it = not cheap at all! The wheels just went out to the powder coater so as soon as they come back I can get this one on 3 wheels and pull the big motor from the other frame and put it into this one. Then I can get the rest of the TT bike tore down for powder. As I mentioned this build will not be super fast - so long as they are both done by Trikefest. That said - I better get my butt in gear. I sincerely hope the other bike goes together better than this one has. I do have everything for the other one - so no finding out I am missing parts. It was a complete bike to start with. The Dune / Drag bike will have 86 rear end set up and the TT / Flat Track bike will be an 85 rear end setup.

[Jmoozy27]

That thing looks sweet Tim!!! I love the color scheme. What forks and triples are you using?

[atctim]

That thing looks sweet Tim!!! I love the color scheme. What forks and triples are you using?

Thanks!
Jason Hall First Gen triples, CR 125 forks. JTS Customs brake hub adapters.

[Red Rider]

Regardless of how fast it is getting assembled, it's looking good during the process.

[atctim]

I'm just over here waiting on parts from PC and the interwebs. This weekend the Hetrick built ESR330 will be mounted into "Arnold". Meanwhile "Danny" is stripped down and off to PC. My wheels should be back from PC soon. I can't wait to see how they look on the bikes. It's like Christmas every evening when I go out to the garage. I'm kind of beside myself for how this bike is turning out.

[ATC-Eric]

Sweet build thread man. Gonna be a beaut!

[atctim]

OK - so over the weekend I cleaned up both motors with a toothbrush and kerosene. They were really filthy - mainly from exhaust spooge. Both Danny and Arnold had black spooge leaks due to broken / missing expansion chamber flange seals. Once cleaned I removed the reeds / cages from both. Arnold would not start for me after Pine Lake's race last year. Upon further inspection I found a big chunk of reed missing. Danny is missing pieces from the corners too. I went ahead and ordered up new cages / reeds from V-Force today. I also went ahead and ordered 2 new PWK 39mm carbs after what I saw and found amazing on my brothers bike. He ordered a PWK39mm carb, and we replaced his old PJ with it. It was "pre-tuned" for whatever that is worth. Once on the bike, it started perfect, idled perfect, and had excellent response through the entire band bottom to top. Nothing needed even 1/4 turn adjusted. 100% perfect. I hope I have the same results with mine. His is stock reeds / cages, stock bore, and ESR pipe. We shall see how it goes with a Sonic II pipe and aftermarket reeds on Danny. Danny's cylinder has been cleaned up a bit, but not really any "deep" work done. Arnold will get the same carb with the 330 big bore and the Kenny Roberts Big Bore pipe. We shall see. More to come soon!!!!

[keister]

I also went ahead and ordered 2 new PWK 39mm carbs after what I saw and found amazing on my brothers bike. He ordered a PWK39mm carb, and we replaced his old PJ with it. It was "pre-tuned" for whatever that is worth. Once on the bike, it started perfect, idled perfect, and had excellent response through the entire band bottom to top. Nothing needed even 1/4 turn adjusted. 100% perfect. I hope I have the same results with mine. His is stock reeds / cages, stock bore, and ESR pipe.

Behold the understated elegance and simplicity that comes with running a STOCK Honda 250R. That Keihin PWK came jetted at 160/60. Stock cylinders make strong usable power after you bolt on a couple of the right parts. I'll sacrifice a couple HP for rock solid reliability. That's today's lesson, now back to the build........

[atctim]

OK all you port and polish people - tell me about the job on this ESR330. Isnapped this picture prior to installing my new reeds. BTW - V-Force III reeds are now screwless - ie no screws holding the pedals to the cage. I think this is a good thing, so long as they hold together. Also - check out the warning label on this R. It is a Canadian bike (the VIN tag is pop riveted to the neck - not stamped in the frame like the USA bikes). I should see if Bruce can replicate it.

[JesseA420]

what does the engraving say on the bottom of the cylinder right below the reed block intake tract area?

[atctim]

JesseA420 - I forgot to get the numbers off the bottom of the intake of the cylinder last night. I'll try to remember this weekend.

Now it's back to two steps forward one step back. Not sure what is the problem here - either the rads or the hoses - it's looking like the hoses. I sincerely hope I can cut some extra length out of the hoses to get the kinks out. Where the one hose leaves the head - it is too long, thus folding the hose which will restrict flow. Then the hose that is near the pipe - is obviously way too long. Gonna try my hand at trimming them to fit this weekend. As is the one really smushes into the pipe. See pics.

Finally the bike as she sits now. It is really coming together and I am liking the color scheme. I think I am going to put blue number backgrounds on the rear fenders to pull it all together.

[loganm]

What triples and forks/hub/axle are you running? Looks slick.

[atctim]

What triples and forks/hub/axle are you running? Looks slick.

See post #23 & #24

[JesseA420]

there shouldnt be much of a problem trimming the front radiator hoses, but as close as the pipe is to the cylinder, it looks like its going to smash into the pipe hard no matter how much you trim off of it, might just be the pic tho.

below the reed cage intake area will tell you what length stroke the cylinder is ported for, and what type of porting if any was initially done on the cylinder from eddie.

bike is really looking good!

[atctim]

Not too much progress to report - but also not too far from the Dune / Drag bike being done. The TT bike swinger is done and assembled. Now just waiting on PC for the frame and misc pieces. It should go together much quicker as it was a whole complete runner when I tore it down to redo it. Just adding some new "go-fast"parts during the build up. Here is the Dune /Drag bike, "Arnold" on it's wheels and nearing completion.

[kiser]

Looking great Tim!

[atctim]

I'm getting this one really buttoned up. Matter of fact - I am not really going to go any further on it until I get "Danny" to this point. I have the second one "Danny" all ready to reassemble. Just waiting on Powder Coating for "Danny". This coming weekend should be great. I have two "Mystery Trikers" coming over to help work on it. Plans for "Arnold" this weekend are to go over every nut and bolt and torque to spec (using locktite where necessary) and then marking bolts / nuts with a paint marker to ensure everything is tight and correct and ready to roll. I'll post some pics of the weekend early next week. I'm really excited to get bolting "Danny" together - PC will take probably 3 weeks.

[keister]

Shall I bring my torque wrench??

Will the 'mystery trikers' be wearing masks, or will we be able to discern their identity?

[atctim]

It is up to them if they want their identities revealed or not. Generally they show up wearing some sort of fancy get up.

[atctim]

Last weekend did not go as planned for the build. My Stomach Virus put a big old WHOA into my plans. One week later and I am still feeling the effects of whatever it was. On a bright side, I got all of Danny's parts back yesterday from the Powder Coater, and I dropped off the frame. Frame should be back in a week and I can start assembly on the TT / Flat track bike that is Danny. On a side note, in this month's Dirt Wheels (May 2016) they did a 4 page write up on Daryl Rath's ATC250R TT Bike. It's crazy how many of the parts I have acquired he used on his bike. Here is a picture of my PCed parts for build #2.

[atctim]

Back at it HARD Saturday. I went from bare PC'ed frame to complete roller. It went together so easily. I had all of my parts already cleaned, greased, organized, and it made assembly smooth and enjoyable. In the past my builds have been slow going, "restoring" one piece at a time, and so much would get lost and I would spend countless minutes / hours looking for that part I just had in my hand. Here are some pics the progress I made.

[atctim]

Looks like I'm going to have to make the same little brackets for these oversized radiators like I did on "Arnold". No biggie, but it would be nice if they would just bolt on as they should. Clearence should not be an issue with this ST kit - thank goodness. I will need to shorten the overflow nipple as it is too long. This is true for both bikes.

[atctim]

Some side by side comparison pics to illustrate the names "Danny and Arnold". Also, I haven't mentioned this, but the BIG beautiful pipe that was pictured in the early photos of Arnold has been sold. It is being replaced with a Kenny Roberts hand-made pipe. I hope to take delivery on the new pipe soon as I got word it is completed. For anyone who doesn't know Kenny's work, check out Mr Clean's bikes, or any BDT trike. They are amazing pipes to say the least! And a bit of a history lesson, the pipe going on the Vintage bike, "Danny" is a Selvy's Sonic II pipe, that was made 30 years ago by none other than Kenny Roberts. Funny how these things play out!

[atctim]

Here is a picture from Pine Lake - Ashtabula 2014. After asking Rob Selvy to try to ID the pipe I had on my bike (I got this pipe from Mr Clean back in 2013) Rob Selvy and Kenny Roberts had just verified that the pipe was indeed made by Kenny back in the day and sold as the "Selvy's Sonic II". David Ham, "Captain" Nick Walters (yourlossmygain) and Jonathan Honnerlaw (Xowner) pictured as well - what a crew of enthusiasts - what a cool day that was. Thinking back to that event, that moment in time where these legends identified my pipe, and then fine tuned my clutch pull - joking around and having fun with some of my best trike buddies - it makes me smile. Now I just need Rob to send me some Selvy's decals to complete this bike. How about it Mr Selvy?????

[Mr. Clean]

Well F me running. Had a KR pipe and did not even know it. If anyone was worthy of it being sold to it was you my friend.

I have some Selvys decals and know where you can get more.

[atctim]

Yup, Mr Clean, I was taken aback when Rob himself told me what it was. I know a lot of people looked at it and no one could identify it correctly. Thanks much for it - I couldn't be happier!!!! So now the vintage bike will have a vintage Kenny pipe on it and the big drag / dune bike will have a new Kenny pipe on it. I had it on this bike last year with the big 330 motor, but it wasn't tuned - nor was the bike put together very well. I rushed, last minute, to get it to Ashtabula last year. My embarrassment when the silencer fell off - my gosh. Then the rear linkage came apart in the main. I felt defeated, and like garbage. Never again I thought to myself. This was just another reason to get knee deep into this project early. So last night I got the motor in, the exhaust on and tightened up, and the 39 PWK on it. I've been told to use the stock airbox, and stock intake tubes. Let me tell you - making that all fit with this gigantic carb is no easy feat! You have to heat the crap out of the rubber boots. It gets really soft and pliable with heat. Otherwise it looked impossible to make it all fit. So I am still waiting on the Motion Pro throttle cable for ATC250R thumb throttle to 39PWK - is is currently back ordered thru Motion Pro. But at last I did fill the carb bowl with gas, pulled the choke up and VIOLA - she started right up on the second kick and sat there and idled. It was like sweet music to my ears - suddenly I made note to re-pack muffler - I forgot I had pulled all the old packing out - LOL. Then the smell. What in the world?? Are there hippies hiding in my garage? I smelled patchouli oil. Like bad! Where was this coming from? Then it hit me. Last time this ran was at an outdoor race. There was a vendor at the race selling additive for your gas to make it smell like flowers, or hamburgers, or cinnamon, or marijuana. A real wise guy bought the marijuana additive and started adding it to peoples gas tanks. Mine got some of it. It was pretty amusing when 4 or 5 bikes at the line had this "special oil" in the tanks and the fumes smelled like Cheech and Chong had just pulled in. The look on by standers faces was pretty priceless. Anyway - the gas is old, so is the gas additive, and my gosh does it stink! Here is a picture of the HUGE carb - it's almost the same size as the little 250cc cylinder. Also - how cool is a 3 wheeler that has a warning decal that basically says you'll die! Then my shop foreman keeping an eye on things making sure I dot my i's and cross my t's on this build.

[atctim]

The ST kit really increases the steering locks. It is amazing the difference it makes. The back of the bike looks so sleek with the flat track fenders.

[atctim]

The overall looks of this bike are exactly as I imagined it would be - "Vintage Old School"!! The only really newer advantage is the big honking radiators on it. I do hope they improve cooling function. They look great - but frankly were a pain in the rear to install with all the little mods you have to do to make them "kind of" fit. Also - check out the VIN tag. This is a Canadian bike. They are actually pop riveted on. The Vin is stamped into the aluminum tag, NOT into the steering neck like US bikes. It's pretty cool!

[Eric250R]

Absolutely love it Tim, can't wait to see it in person !!

[Mr. Clean]

This is a Canadian bike.

Crazy Canuks EH!!!!!


I felt defeated, and like garbage. Never again I thought to myself.

Humbling for sure. It really shows well when quality machines roll up to the starting line, it is not much to maintain them post race to keep them looking pristine!!!

[atctim]

My list of things to do to this bike is only about 5 items long, I am stoked! So close I can taste it. I'm waiting on my Rath Racing nerf bars to arrive and mount them - and it will basically be complete at that point in time. I like the looks and mount points of the Rath Racing nerfs, and I ordered them in white with blue nets. Then the new Dirt Wheels comes out and I see Rath's personal bike in there being mostly stock-ish "looking" with white nerfs. Maybe now there will be 2 people calling me a copy cat - lol. I need a new piece of fuel line and fill my radiators, and she is ready for a test run - a shake down run if you will***EDIT*** I will NOT be able to shake down test run until the Pro Motion throttle cables get here. I forgot about that little important piece of this puzzle. The PWK to Honda thumb throttle cables are back ordered. I ordered them about 5 weeks ago - not available until May 31 - gonna be cutting it way too close - not to mention I have to look at these and know I can not yet ride them - it almost hurts! I'm anxious to see how this bike will perform with the Sonic II pipe I had on my big bore motor. With the V-Force reeds and 39 PWK it should reasonably be at rocket-ship status. To quote the late great Yamahondaman - "she's just a little 250". I'll be getting some really good high quality photos outside of these guys when complete, but take note of simple things like the bars. They are OEM re-pops a guy makes and sells on ebay. I went with stock grips and even used the stock weighted bar ends. The re-pop bars have the nut welded in the ends to accommodate for this. Again - they are OEM style. They were designed to reduce vibration in the bars - I went with them for looks and function. Again - going after that stock look with a shot of performance. Back to Arnold any day now. I still need to do quite a bit to it, starting with tightening every nut and bolt on it. Then I need to wrestle with the stock intake boots on this big carb for it. It really takes some trickery to make that happen! The bike pictured below will be at Trikefest 16 for barrel racing - and if it is NOT muddy - I will see how it stacks up during some grudge matches at the drag strip. I really must focus on getting Arnold finished up for Trikefest. It has one year to perform well in the Open class drags before it gets shipped off to SoCal to live with it's own kind. 5 weeks to go - and counting.

[xrider]

Great work Tim. The gold wheels pull it together nicely.

[86T3]

Will you please get some Canadian reflectors for the Canadian bike? I almost spit my coffee out reading about the pot smelling fuel. Us trike guys are pretty good pranksters. At the TF awards banquet a couple years ago Crazy70man poured a couple shots of vodky into my nearly empty bottle of Bud Lime while i wasnt looking. Everyone in the back half of the room heard me shriek when I slammed that. Anyways, really nice builds Tim, if the perform as well as the look I'm sure you'll be a happy man

[JesseA420]

lookin good, stock cylinders can make a ton of power if setup right. 50+ hp in some cases. i love how the bigger keihins fits nice and tight in the stock intake boot. if you need to swap a jet it sits in the little groove, and you can rotate the carb out without it popping out of the boot. if you buy the upp boot for the bigger carbs they are slick rubber, and their molds seem to have gotten junky because the boot is thicker on one side and very thin on the other. if you need to swap a jet a slight loosening of the clamp and your carb will fall out.

did you get a look at the bottom of the intake tract on the esr cylinder to find out how eddie had set it up?

[atctim]

Last night I finished up Danny. Although finished up doesn't mean 100% done - I am still waiting on a throttle cable before I can ride this little red devil. I'm thinking I am going to raise her up about 1 inch in both the front and rear end. Right now it is perfectly set up for flat track, but it needs a bit more for TT - which is what I really built it for. So the May issue of Dirtwheels has Daryl Rath's TT bike. It shares so many common parts with mine it is crazy. Apart from a few small differences, they are basically identical. I read the entire write up on his bike for a 3rd time last night. Scary!

I finished up all the loose ends last night and mounted the Rath Racing nerf bars. I think they look amazing on this bike. They should perform well too with the huge spiky foot pegs. This bike had Derrick Adams' 1" lowered foot pegs on it. Because of my height I am going to replace the Jason Hall 450 foot peg adapters on Arnold and replace them with the lowered foot pegs. It should work for me better for drags and dunes.

As soon as I get a nice day here in PA - I will get this thing outside for a photo op. I have not had it outside in natural light yet, but I know the gold PC'ed wheels look different in differnt lights inside my garage. Can't wait to see them under natural light.

[Onetrackmind]

That thing is AWESOME...great job on the build.

You've got quite a stable full of pretty phillies...and now a Danny. Beautiful!

[Kintore]

Please tell me more about this canadian r you have.....

The trikes are really mint sir. I'm jealous on that short track kit. The steering lock is quite quite impressive.

I'm glad I could come down and be a part of these builds!

[atctim]

Please tell me more about this canadian r you have.....



You know most of the story. I bought it from you in 2008. It was "Red Beard". It then became a silver bike which was pimped out to my OTC racing friends during the early 2010s. It got the ST kit installed about 3 years ago for Ashtabula. It is now my dedicated low rider. Ice, TT, and Flat Track. Thanks much for delivering it in the back of your 4-Runner.

[Red Rider]

It then became a silver bike which was pimped out to my OTC racing friends during the early 2010s.What's going on with the rear fenders in that pic?

[atctim]

What's going on with the rear fenders in that pic?

Those fenders were on my 500 conversion and were modified for the rear kicker.

[atctim]

I rolled "Danny" outside to see sunlight for the first time ever. The gold PC looks magnificent outside - better than expected. Still waiting on a throttle cable before I can ride it. I am having some rear axle issues as well. I'm hoping this weekend I can figure it out. I'm thinking I have some 85 and 86 parts mixed and matched wrongly on this guy. I'm taking it to Tionesta Trikes South and we are gonna axle swap it and see if it makes a difference. Hopefully Keister and RoscoW are able to help me figure it out. Trikefest is less than four weeks out. I'm feeling good on this one. On the "Arnold" build, I am also waiting on a throttle cable. Next weekend Keister is going to some help me finish it up. I got my Kenny Roberts pipe in hand now and am just waiting on a tank for it. Should be finishing it up in short order also. I have a few "odd" frame issues to figure out, but all is looking good at this point for both these bikes to be at TF for some sweet 3 wheeled action. In the eloquent words of Ice Cube :
"Woke her up around one
She didn't hesitate, to call Ice Cube the top gun
Drove her to the pad and I'm coastin
Took another sip of the potion hit the three-wheel motion"

[atctim]

Regarding the rear axle problems I was having on Danny - apparently rather than having 1 - 1986 rear axle and 2 - 1985 rear axles, all 3 of my axles I had accumulated over the years were all 3 1986 axles. Bummer. I ended up modifying the sprocket hub on the 1986 Lonestar axle for Danny. Basically I cut 1/8" off the bearing side of the sprocket hub. It now fits like normal and all clearances are good. For some odd reason the stock wheel hubs will not slide on easily though. I can get them to go on with a dead blow, but they are not to be a "pressed fit". I called Lonestar and they confirmed that stock wheel hubs should fit, but they do not. I went ahead and ordered a new set of wheel hubs from Lonestar last Friday. They are "Backordered" like everything else I need in a hurry for these builds it seems. They assured me they will be here before June 21, which is the day I leave for Trikefest. WOWZERS.

A good update from the weekend. My brother, Keister, came up and helped me with final assembly of Arnold. When I put it together, I was in a hurry so I could get Danny tore down. I basically put the entire bike together by hand (no tools) so everything on the bike was loose. So after we tightened ( and marked) each bolt, we were able to continue forward with it. We mounted the 39 PWK carb and the KR Pipe. There was other odds and ends we needed to finish up, and we succeeded. Once it was all together (minus the throttle cables I am still waiting on) I put some gas in the carb, and she fired on the 4th kick and sat an idled with no throttle response available (no throttle cable hooked up). Both bike have done this now and I take it as a most excellent sign of times to come. Throttle cables should be here today. I emailed PJ at Motion Pro last week. I explained that I had these cables ordered 7 weeks ago and they are still unavailable. They special made me 2 and shipped them 2nd day mail for free. They really made things right with me and I will spread the word of their good deed.

I got Arnold outside for the first time ever. It's too bad it was gloomy out with no sunshine. Next pictures I post will be both bikes done and ride able. Here is the bike totally finished minus the throttle cable and plastics and baja lights that need the mount modified. Oh, and I still need to install the new Hinson Clutch I have for it as well. It really is gonna come down to the line for the builds and the close approaching Trikefest.

[atctim]

And here are two PDF files with all specs on these two builds for your reading enjoyment.

[JesseA420]

looks good, cept your paddles are on the wrong sides lol

[Eric250R]

It really is gonna come down to the line for the builds and the close approaching Trikefest.

Doesn't it always...lol. I'm still waiting on parts for 2 machines myself.....But looking really good so far my friend.

[Red Rider]

That's a good lookin' pipe on Arnold. :Bounce

[atctim]

looks good, cept your paddles are on the wrong sides lol

The rotation arrow is going the right way. I think the tire guys mounted right on left and left on right. The SandStar logo is on the inside of the wheels.

[atctim]

Update: The UPS man showed up at 6:57 last night with my (2) Motion Pro 01-0604 "Special Application" cables. I was quick to mount one up on Arnold. I then mounted the tank and shrouds and rear fenders / seat. I put some fuel in the tank and she came to life, breathing fire in 2 kicks. Throttle response is fantastic. The throttle push seems a bit stiff, but I am guessing it is because the large carb has a large return spring. I ran it around the yard a bit. I'm gonna have to take the paddles off it for a real run. It shakes too much on hard pack and gravel with those paddles. I will say that it seems really fast. Just doing some launches out my lane it seemed to take me a long distance to get stopped from the top of 3rd gear, which by the way it gets there lightning quick. It almost seems as though I can not shift quick enough. I'll need to practice and maybe start launching in 2nd gear.

I also had thoughts in my head in bed last night of swapping front sprockets on these two bikes. Arnold has a 14 or 15 tooth front sprocket as I ran that on that motor at Ashtabula last year.

Being new to this "buy new parts and bolt them on" - I never took the carb apart. I pulled it from the box it came in and installed it. After running it a bit, I noticed the overflow line was steady flowing fuel onto the ground. Tonight I will tear the carb back off and look inside. I'm guessing there is dirt or debris clogging the inlet needle or something. Some of my very knowledgeable Facebook friends offered me suggestions, of either this or floats needing adjusted. We will see tonight.

I will also get Danny running tonight and see how it runs. I took the carb apart on it before installing it, so hopefully no problems there. Running these bikes a full 2 weeks prior to Trikefest is a huge weight off my shoulders.

[86T3]

Timbo Slice, I was completely unaware of this but apparantly some people are doing 3rd gear launches. Flyin Brian tipped me off to this at Smith Road last week, and if he is doing it on a stock bore 250r I'm sure it's in your realm. I myself became a fan of 2nd gear starts on my 500 last year. I didn't do it at the start of the season and was getting left behind, but as you can see in this photo it works. In Jon's defense he had just put his goggles on when the light turned green, but there is some serious HP in this photo that I left behind
232475

[atctim]

I'm gonna be practicing on the dragstrip alot at Trikefest. Second gear should not be a problem. Not sure about 3rd, but we shall see. I'm pretty fat - Flyin Brian is pretty lean. I do need to change gearing on Arnold. It is very high because of Pine Lake. This ESR330 with the KR pipe and V-Force reeds and 39PWK is the strongest bike I have ever rode. I'm certain with the right rider it could win trophies. I just need to get used to it. Like Dennis on a Tecate used to it!

[keister]

Update: It almost seems as though I can not shift quick enough. I'll need to practice and maybe start launching in 2nd gear.

The guys with the big motors use 3rd through 6th gears. At some point first and second become rather useless. Between TF and Ashtaboooola, we will play with gearing and dial in both of them. It would be nice to gear it such that all six cogs are useable. Not sure if that is realistic though.

[atctim]

I feel that right now the cogs seem good for 1st or 2nd gear launches, but I can only assume with tire height and gearing - that bike is capable of some seriously fast top speeds. It's sitting on 20" tires with 14 36 gearing right now. I need to at least put a 39 on the rear of this dune / drag bike.

[RamsesRibb]

If they are starting in 3rd would it make more sense to use taller final drive ratio? Throw on a 17t front and 30t on the rear?

Lovely builds, btw.

[atctim]

The end is getting close. Last night I installed my Motion Pro 01-0604 (Honda Thumb to 39 PWK) throttle cable onto Danny. A bit of history with this motor first. About 5 or 6 years ago I heard of a 250R for sale about 2 hours from my house. We went and looked at it. It had been in a fire, but was not all that damaged. Mainly some plastics got melted off the front - junked the front fender. We picked it up for a song and a dance. It came with a NOS OEM 86 headlight complete. I sold the headlight and recouped the money spend on the entire machine. I then went to work building it for my now Ex-Wife who insisted she have a liquid R. As I knew nothing about the bike, other than it had had some previous damage, I took the top end off to have a look see. It was remarkable how good of shape the piston and cylinder was. Even the bottom end cases had very little foot wear on them - which generally means very low run time. I had a Hetrick Racing ported cylinder (.20 over) sitting in stock, so I sent the cylinder and a new piston off to my local bore guy. I then installed a new piston and rings and the Hetrick cylinder on the bike. I put an 85 stock carb on it along with a stock exhaust and stock reeds / cage on it to keep it as tame as possible for her. It took her one run down the TF drag strip to flip it backwards on herself when shifting from 1st to 2nd. She was fine, but the bike suffered some damage as it ended up half way up the guard rail upside down. Some of you may remember that. Anyway - we got divorced and she took it (having never run again after that first TF back in 2011). I told her not to sell that bike for less than X amount of dollars. Fast forward 5 years - I got in touch with the ex about buying this bike from her, she still had it. She agreed, and I started this build using most of it's parts. It should be known that the only parts left from the original build is the motor, and a few odds and ends. So here is this motor with like an hour run time on it.

When I fired it up last night, and adjusted the idle, it runs perfect. What really surprises me is just how quiet this motor is. every R I've ever owned has some normal R noises. Not this one - it is so quiet. Just like a new one. As it sat and idled, I stood there grinning ear to ear knowing I have a basically brand new motor for my race bike. I could not be happier with my new race bike. Here is a picture of how it looked when I first built it back in 2011.

[Mr. Clean]

I then went to work building it for my now Ex-Wife. It took her one run down the TF drag strip to flip it backwards on herself when shifting from 1st to 2nd.

In my book this is as good a reason to get a divorce :D

I heard a rumor that Danny is sporting a shiny tank? Is this true?

[Mosh]

The guys with the big motors use 3rd through 6th gears. At some point first and second become rather useless. Between TF and Ashtaboooola, we will play with gearing and dial in both of them. It would be nice to gear it such that all six cogs are useable. Not sure if that is realistic though.

Not to start a debate, but back when I was putting it to all the fo fiddys into the first turn on my Halls ported lil 250...2nd is the ticket with a plus 2 swinger. Bunny hop off the line then grab 3rd and let it eat...Its all about feeling the strangle hold on your engine with a balance of throttle opening. . Tuned ported motors with big carbs hit a spot where you can feel them lay over at the line...back the throttle down a fuzz, ride the clutch at the fan point, when the gate drops, gouge the throttle like a WWF wrestler and slam the clutch, let the good grip tires(mx 4s) dig to china and hover that front wheel 8 inches until it is time to turn .... and no chicken wing shifting....ever see a guy shifting and his left arm looks like a chicken trying to fly? Its no good....

......as Ronnie always said, its about outta da hole....master it...love it amaze your friends. ..some guys feel the engine, they build them and have a edge cuz they feel when it makes the most torque...remember torque is what moves ya...2 or 4 stroke..when you know, it makes you faster...

Flyin Brian does 3rd, cuz he is tiny and its STOCK...

Ps..trikes look great.

[atctim]

I heard a rumor that Danny is sporting a shiny tank? Is this true?

'Tis Arnold with the shiny tank. Pics to come soon. Arnold is "basically" all done now. I need to get a set of 8" gold rear wheels for his new race shoes. The tank honestly looks perfect and I can not thank you enough!

[RoscoW]

'Tis Arnold with the shiny tank. Pics to come soon. Arnold is "basically" all done now. I need to get a set of 8" gold rear wheels for his new race shoes. The tank honestly looks perfect and I can not thank you enough!

I might have a set of those 8" gold rims……..I'll check.

Ross..

[atctim]

Arnold is now complete. I just spray bombed a set of 8" wheels I had laying around to mount the 3-Snows to. When I get back from TF - I'll get a set PC'ed to match the front and the other set. This picture is not the best as it was super gloomy out, but then again, this machine is pretty dark, so it kind of works. Other upgrades I want to add in the future - LED upgrade for headlights, and I still need to install the new Hinson clutch. I just ran out of time. The clutch will be fine for drag racing. This machine is for sure the fastest R I have ever ridden. Not saying it is the fastest thing out there, by a long shot, but for me, It's the fastest steed in my stable. Another upgrade is possibly a wheelie bar. I will be talking to lots of people at TF16 and will get ideas from looking at other drag bikes. Drag or Dune - this old girl is ready to rock, and the make over is one I can be proud of for years to come.

[Mr. Clean]

3-Snows 4 Snow, it says so on the sidewall :D Needs some roundy poundys!!!



This picture is not the best as it was super gloomy out

Actually that is some good lighting, no sun to deal with to produce a glare. Early sunrise or late sunset is the "perfect" lighting. My only other recommendation is to kick the front end right, lay on the beautiful green grass, this will make the trike look bigger and move to the left of where you this pic was taken. It will really change the perspective......or do what you like... :D

Also the "pipe" side is the show side so you got that right and what a piece of artwork it is..... :drool:


the make over is one I can be proud of for years to come.

Yes you should be, Trike looks GREAT, AWESOME build.